​Representative David Wilnot, a Democrat from Pennsylvania proposed that in any territory the United States had gained from Mexico,"neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist." Many Southerners were outraged by Wilnot's proposal. They believed that any antislavery policy about the territories endangered slavery everywhere.
A coalition of Northern Democrats and Whigs passed the Wilmot Proviso in the House of Representatives. The Senate refused to vote on this.
Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina argued that Americans settling in the territories had the right to bring along their property, including enslaved laborers, and that Congress had no power to ban slavery in the territories.
Senator Lewis Cass of Michigan suggested that citizens of each territory should be allowed to choose if they wanted to permit slavery.
This became called popular sovereignty which was very popular among the members of the Congress because it removed the slavery issue from national politics. Democrats also agreed with this.
Abolitionists argued that it still denied African Americans their right to be free.
Democrat Lewis Cass and General Zachary Taylor, presidential candidates, sidestepped the slavery issue.
Many Northern opponents of slavery joined with the abolitionist Liberty Party to form the Free-Soil Party, which opposed the spread of slavery onto "free soil" of western territories.
They adopted the slogan "free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men", which they chose as their candidate, Martin Van Buren, former president.
People for Free-Soilers pulled votes away from the Democrats.
The Impact of the War With Mexico
- ​Representative David Wilnot, a Democrat from Pennsylvania proposed that in any territory the United States had gained from Mexico,"neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist." Many Southerners were outraged by Wilnot's proposal. They believed that any antislavery policy about the territories endangered slavery everywhere.
- A coalition of Northern Democrats and Whigs passed the Wilmot Proviso in the House of Representatives. The Senate refused to vote on this.
- Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina argued that Americans settling in the territories had the right to bring along their property, including enslaved laborers, and that Congress had no power to ban slavery in the territories.
- Senator Lewis Cass of Michigan suggested that citizens of each territory should be allowed to choose if they wanted to permit slavery.
- This became called popular sovereignty which was very popular among the members of the Congress because it removed the slavery issue from national politics. Democrats also agreed with this.
- Abolitionists argued that it still denied African Americans their right to be free.
- Democrat Lewis Cass and General Zachary Taylor, presidential candidates, sidestepped the slavery issue.
- Many Northern opponents of slavery joined with the abolitionist Liberty Party to form the Free-Soil Party, which opposed the spread of slavery onto "free soil" of western territories.
- They adopted the slogan "free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men", which they chose as their candidate, Martin Van Buren, former president.
- People for Free-Soilers pulled votes away from the Democrats.
- Zachary Taylor won with a narrow victory.
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